At a glance
Improving knowledge of the subsurface to manage its resources sustainably and optimise its uses
The sustainable management of regions and their resources requires extensive, reliable and up-to-date knowledge of the subsurface. It is used for a wide range of purposes by public authorities, economic stakeholders, academics, civil society and the general public.
As the French Geological Survey, BRGM interprets, enhances and disseminates reliable geological information by integrating new processes and tools for investigating and characterising the subsurface, based on the most recent geological concepts and advances in digital technologies as well as interdisciplinary methods and tools.
In this context, BRGM has been running the French Geological Reference Programme (RGF) since 2013. The RGF provides a 3D representation of consistent, comprehensive geoscience knowledge across France for use by the whole French geologist community.
Heliborne geophysical acquisition using electromagnetic and magnetic methods
© Alexandre Magnan
Strategic challenges
Understanding and modelling regional geological formations
Today's economic, environmental and spatial-planning challenges require access to information on the condition, geometry and geological properties of the subsurface throughout France.
Sovereignty depends on geological information, particularly for the management of natural resources, but also for sharing knowledge of the subsurface, which is a legal obligation under the Mining Code as well as for water boreholes under the Environment Code.
Civil society and the general public are also increasingly in need of information on the nature of the subsurface, for sustainable regional management, or for education and information on France’s natural heritage. This means being able to acquire and aggregate in a coherent way all available knowledge of the subsurface and its properties, to provide comprehensible and up-to-date information at different scales and to different audiences, whether in the form of scientific publications, maps, geological models or databases.
Geological data and information form the basis of numerous applications related to the subsurface (underground development, construction, etc.) and its resources (water, soil, minerals). Good characterisation and modelling of the subsurface in 2D or 3D and on multiple scales is a proven way of enabling savings in its use (optimisation of underground construction, risk prevention, etc.) and ensuring sovereignty (better knowledge of water and mineral resources, etc.). Information on the subsurface is, for the most part, made public and is mainly used by public authorities and professionals in several economic sectors (engineering, environmental management, construction and mining industries, etc.).
Acquiring and disseminating geological data and information requires a complex chain of processing, from field observation and measurements to digital models and services. This challenge is BRGM's core mission as the French Geological Survey, following the example of its European and international counterparts and in conjunction with research infrastructures.
3D geological model of the Paris Basin showing the Dogger deposit environments.
© BRGM - Sunseare Gabalda
Ambition
Innovate in subsurface modelling and develop a 3D model of the subsurface in France
BRGM’s objective is to acquire, collect, file, analyse, interpret, model and disseminate all accessible geological information from multiple sources as input for applications for managing resources and risks. The aim is to better characterise and model the architecture of the subsurface and its properties. This means organising the geological data development chain, from acquisition to modelling, taking into account the disparity of the data, its quality and its representativeness of the area in question.
One of the main ambitions of the programme is to develop a 3D model of France’s subsurface that will describe not only the different formations with their geometry and structure, but also their geophysical, geochemical or geotechnical characteristics and the resources they contain. The aim is to build up a repository of easily accessible knowledge aggregating all available geological data and to develop a methodology for interpreting, modelling and retrieving this structured reference information.
Large urban areas have specific needs for knowledge and proper management of their subsurface in various respects (the interface between the subsurface and the built environment, underground structures, water supply, geo-energy, management of natural hazards and human-made risks). These uses of the subsurface depend on the geological context and are one of the conditions for sustainable urban development.
Lastly, this challenge has a strong technological dimension, with the aim of developing innovative geophysical instrumentation and observation technologies (e.g. new services based on satellite data) and the geomodelling solutions required to investigate and describe the underground space.
BRGM's added value
- The production of reliable geological and geophysical information on the subsurface in France and abroad.
- Solid technological know-how for conducting subsurface surveys.
- Unique resources for mobilising a wide range of geophysical techniques.
- Advanced know-how of geomodelling for investigating, characterising and simulating the underground space.
- A strong capacity for interdisciplinary integration across the entire value chain, from field work to 4D modelling.
What kind of partnership initiatives?
Development of 3D models to identify and quantify available natural resources (groundwater, minerals, etc.)
- Models to describe the various formations with their geometry, structure and properties (mechanical, physical, chemical).
- For different types of use (underground development, large-scale resource exploration, etc.).
Integration of a wide range of data from a variety of sources to gain a multi-scale understanding of the subsurface
- Across the entire acquisition continuum, from field surveys to satellite observation (Copernicus services, etc.), via airborne geophysics, for a better understanding of the properties of geological objects.
Optimisation of development projects through better prediction of local subsurface characteristics and their foreseeable evolution
- Development of innovative multi-scale models of surface formations to better predict lithologies, geometries and geomechanical behaviour for future spatial planning, particularly in and around cities and along major routes.
Integration of complex subsurface data and adaptation of their visualisation for specific purposes
- Joint development of new functionalities in integrative platforms in order to produce, build on and structure subsurface knowledge for new uses or development requirements (mineral resources, geo-energy, urban infrastructures, etc.).
